The remains of a girl found in a Phoenix dumpster in 1984 were identified as Renee Isabel Nilsson.
Using investigative genetic genealogy, the DNA Doe Project was able to identify the remains of “Del Rey Jane Doe” more than 40 years after her remains were discovered.
The DNA Doe Project was founded in 2017 as a nonprofit corporation aiming to identify previously unidentified remains using investigative genetic genealogy.
On June 10, 1984, the partial remains of an adolescent girl were found in a trash bin in the area near 21st Avenue in Phoenix, the DNA Doe Project said.
Detectives established she was the victim of a homicide, but investigators were unable to identify the girl, the DNA Doe Project said.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office referred the case to the DNA Doe Project in 2023, where expert investigative genetic geologists worked to identify the remains.
Advances in forensic anthropology and investigative genetic genealogy deduced that the girl was younger than previously thought. By May of 2024, a DNA profile was developed for the unidentified girl.
The team working on the case, led by Trish Bird, was able to identify two families the unidentified girl was related to, and later, they found a marriage certificate between two individuals from either family.
The couple only had one daughter, and records showed she was married in 1987, three years after the unidentified girl’s remains were found, the DNA Doe Project said. However, the team kept looking and eventually learned that the girl had not been married, and in fact, had been missing since May 1984.
Further DNA testing confirmed that Renee Isabel Nilsson was “Del Rey Jane Doe.”
“The Phoenix Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit is aware of this development and are now working to identify any leads now available. This remains an ongoing investigation,” Rob Scherer with the Phoenix Police Department said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix dumpster remains identified after 40 years